BCE (TSE:BCE) Given New C$35.00 Price Target at National Bankshares

BCE (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) had its target price lowered by National Bankshares from C$37.00 to C$35.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on BCE. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of BCE from C$45.00 to C$42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on BCE from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on BCE from C$41.00 to C$35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. National Bank Financial downgraded BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of BCE from C$37.50 to C$33.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$41.88.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at C$34.40 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$37.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$43.16. BCE has a 12 month low of C$31.99 and a 12 month high of C$56.18. The company has a market capitalization of C$31.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.9975 per share. This represents a $3.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 185.58%.

About BCE

BCE Inc, a communications company, provides wireless, wireline, Internet, and television (TV) services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Bell Communication and Technology Services, and Bell Media. The Bell Communication and Technology Services segment provides wireless products and services including mobile data and voice plans and devices; wireline products and services comprising data, including internet access, internet protocol television, cloud-based services, and business solutions, as well as voice, and other communication services and products; and satellite TV and connectivity services for residential, small and medium-sized business, government, and large enterprise customers.